Five tips on running a successful business

Owner Hamid Latiff Jr. started Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen on March 26. His tips to run a successful business include the following:

>> Goals. "Believe in what you do. Believe in your objectives. Set goals and go for it," Latiff said.

>> Customers. "Treat every customer as though you've known them all of your life. Have a genuine smile on your face and extend that warmth," Latiff said. "Whatever service you are offering, make sure you are offering 100 percent."

>> Research. "Always do research before making a decision," Latiff said. "Don't assume anything. Make sure you are zoned right. Make sure you get the necessary information on permits. There are a lot of regulations. You have to make sure you can do some things."

>> Money. "Make sure you budget yourself right. There are times that you have to carry the business on your own," he said. "Have something set aside to take you through the slow days to pay rent, employees and bills."

>> Location. "Find a location that won't be difficult for customers," Latiff said. "You don't want to open up in a sketchy part of town. Make sure it is appealing to customers."

Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen

Location: 4137 East Anaheim St., Long Beach

Owner: Hamid Latiff Jr.

Opened: March 26

Employees: Seven, including three chefs, three servers and owner Hamid Latiff Jr.

Hamid Latiff Jr. opened Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen in March to bring the Caribbean flavors of his native Trinidad to the Long Beach community.

Steel pan drum players are invited to play on Friday nights, and his wife, a graduate of Cal State Long Beach, has connections with the local pan community to make the talent pool endless.

Latiff has instilled a relaxed atmosphere of “liming,” which is something that his fellow Trinidadians refer to as hanging out, drinking and eating, joking around and telling stories.

“There is always an occasion to get dressed up and go liming at someone’s house,” Latiff said. No stresses – not even the parking along the crowded East Anaheim thoroughfare where the restaurant is located. At the rear of Callaloo, 4137 E. Anaheim St., are several parking spots, and even more in the lot two doors down at the Coastal Paint and Decorating store that Latiff’s customers are permitted to use on weekends.

Latiff, 47, came to Long Beach about five years ago, having worked initially in the fashion world, buying clothing from L.A.’s Fashion District, and sending back home nation colorful tees, pants, dresses and other apparel. Trinidad is a tiny island of about 1.3 million people located about 7 miles off the northeastern coast of Venezuela, in the Caribbean Sea.

Callaloo Caribbean is a casual restaurant that serves cuisine that’s influenced by African and East Indian cultures. At the top of the menu is roti, an unleavened bread similar to Indian naan bread that’s filled with chicken, beef, goat or shrimp stew or vegetarian mixes. Think burrito wrap.

Trinidad is known for its savory food options. Curry is a popular spice. Dishes include curry beef, stewed oxtail, curry shrimp and goat, served with rice and macaroni pie, or red beans, black beans and lentils. Channa and aloo, or garbanzo beans with potatoes cooked in curry and stuffed in bread, also is top must-have on the menu.

“The curry is different. We have our own blend,” Latiff said. “We use a lot of green seasoning herbs blended together to marinate our meats.”

Callaloo is Latiff’s first restaurant.

On the walls are sand dollars, swizzle sticks used to stir drinks, and artwork from Trinidad painter Ryan Williams, some of Maracas Beach on Trinidad’s north shore and from the capital city of Port of Spain, where Latiff was raised. The red, black and white flag of Trinidad stands in the corner. Two white bulletin boards display the dinner specials.

“The food was excellent,” said Jameer Ali, who drove to the restaurant from Culver City with his wife, Roma, and her parents. “Someone I knew came here and mentioned it to me, so we had to come.”

The Ali family is from Trinidad, so eating native food was a treat. Jameer Ali had stewed oxtail served with red beans, rice and lentil peas, while his wife had roti and goat curry. She also ordered a Mauby, a passion-mango drink, which Roma said she hadn’t savored since last visiting her native country in 2006.

“It’s worth coming back,” said Roma Ali, as she buckled up in her car to drive back to Culver City, 27 miles to the north.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, this is an 8,” said Linda Newton, visiting from Baja California, Mexico. “I absolutely loved it.”

Newton ate roti with beef stuffed and a macaroni pie and side dish.

“This one is more authentic than the Caribbean Treehouse (in Inglewood). His curry is from Trinidad,” Newton said of Latiff’s spices.

For sure, Callaloo is the youngest of a small band of Caribbean-influenced restaurants in the Los Angeles area, which the leader of the pack may be the Caribbean Treehouse at 1220 Centinela Ave., in Inglewood.

“We’ve been here for 23 years,” said Carol Charles, the owner of Caribbean Treehouse. “There’s a whole bunch of Caribbean restaurants coming to the area. Jamaican, Belizian, and two from Trinidad,” said Charles, who would not say whether she had plans to visit Callaloo to size up her newest competitor.

Hamid Latiff opened Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen in March to bring the Caribbean flavors of his native Trinidad to the Long Beach community. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hamid Latiff opened Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen in March to bring the Caribbean flavors of his native Trinidad to the Long Beach community. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Shrimp roti includes a filling made of garbanzo beans, potatoes, curry, and shrimp which is then wrapped in roti - an unleavened bread similar to naan. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Chef Derick Cardenes prepares a curry-based filling for an order of shrimp roti at Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen is a casual restaurant that serves cuisine influenced by African and East Indian cultures. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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